Photo: Bostonian13 · CC BY-SA 3.0The University of New Hampshire is 3.9 miles from Lee
No college sits inside Lee’s boundary, but the University of New Hampshire’s campus in Durham, with 12,999 students on campus, is 3.9 miles from the center of town, and Great Bay Community College is 11 miles away in Portsmouth. About 5% of Lee’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Hampshire (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Lee. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Lee
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Lee
Both are public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Lee.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at Over $110k, where Lee’s median household income ($131,579) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Lee: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: UNH (4).
Questions about college near Lee
Is Lee a college town?
No. About 5 of every 100 Lee residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as New Hampshire (6). The nearest campus, the University of New Hampshire, is 3.9 miles away in Durham.
What colleges are near Lee?
Within 15 miles: the University of New Hampshire (3.9 miles, 12,999 students on campus) and Great Bay Community College (11 miles, 1,197).
What is the closest community college to Lee, and what does it cost?
Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth, 11 miles away. Tuition and fees are $7,200 a year for New Hampshire residents; the federal net price, $15,768, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of New Hampshire cost if we live in New Hampshire?
Tuition and fees are $19,202 a year in-state and $39,852 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $16,523 (under $30,000 income) to $28,588 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Lee. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →